DUKE WRESTLING NEWSLETTER
NOVEMBER 2014
COACHES CORNER
I am very excited about the start of our new season. I felt we had a great summer of training which prepared our guys for the start
of the season. I was pleased with the performance of our team at both the Hokie and the Wolfpack Open and it’s great to see people
taking notice of the direction of the program by ranking three of our student-athletes in the top 20 in addition to having multiple top
showings at both tournaments. I would like to thank all of our alumni and friends who came out to both events. It’s always great to see
so much blue in the stands. Now that the tournaments are out of the way we are looking forward to hosting ninth-ranked Nebraska. We
will be young but not as young as last year. We will start two freshmen instead of five and hopefully that additional experience will aid
us throughout the season. Our schedule is just as tough as last year as we compete against four Big Ten teams as well as our rigorous
ACC schedule. With four NCAA qualifiers and one All-American I feel we will be up for the challenge. We look forward to seeing all of our Duke fans at our
home events.
Take care,
Glen Lanham
Duke Wrestling | Building the Total Student-Athlete
2014-15 SEASON OUTLOOK
It’s that time of the year again with great anticipation of another season of Duke wrestling. While it is difficult to predict the starters so early in the year, here
is a good look from the inside of what to expect this year for the late season line up.
Thayer Atkins
125
Like last year, we expect to have a true freshman in the starting lineup. Thayer Atkins will get a welcome to Division I college
wrestling right out of the gate as he faces the difficult transition from high school to college wrestling. Thayer has the
background to jump right in and battle as a starter for the team. He has been exposed to some very high level coaching and
we feel that his understanding of position and physical maturity are going to be allies for Thayer this year.
133
Another true freshman, Bailey Jack, comes to us from the state of Michigan where he competed for a perennial power Lowell High School.
Bailey will have his hands full when he steps into the varsity lineup this year at 133. Originally the plan was to get Bailey in as a probable
125-pound starter. Luckily for Bailey he added a freshman 10-plus pounds to his frame and grew into a legitimate 133-pounders body.
Brandon Gambucci
Bailey Jack
141
With a pair of freshmen donning the Duke singlet at 125 and 133, we will finally be able
to add experience into the lineup with two veteran national qualifiers battling out the
141-pound spot. Brandon Gambucci, a 2013 NCAA qualifier, will be upping the body mass
index for competition this year because his height remains the same. Brandon has a
funky style, strong hips, and a pair of vice grips for hands that should match up well for
the jump to 141 this season.
Tanner Hough
In addition, Tanner Hough and Evan Botwin will be vying for the starting spot. Tanner
looks to rebound from injury after qualifying for NCAAs in 2012. Evan Botwin, after putting in excellent work over the
summer on campus, adds great depth and a very interesting situation for the Blue Devils considering how close these
three are in the room.
Evan Botwin
149 – Current national rank #20
No more Bojangles on the way to weigh-ins this year. Excitement surrounds Marcus Cain returning to his
original weight class as a Blue Devil. Marcus wrestled at 165 for the team last year and put together some
quality wins, however the horse power factor came into play at times giving him some trouble handling
the best the weight class had to offer. We expect results out of the explosive and dynamic wrestler he is.
Our top 25 finish this year could very well be determined by his performance.
Marcus Cain
Challenging Marcus this year will be Joey Abbate. A California native with a carefree attitude, Joey
doesn’t care who he is wrestling. He envisions himself as a gamer.
157 – Current national rank #19
Duke’s Captain America Immanuel Kerr-Brown is back for another run at his All-American goal. “Manny” is
one of the team captains and one of those who leads by example. We expect nothing less than double the
team points Kerr-Brown posted at NCAA’s for the team last year. He has continuously been a top pick for
the most improved wrestler each of the past two seasons.
Hart
Immanuel Kerr-Brown
e
ew D
Andr
Jake Faus
t
165
This weight is a difficult prediction this early in the season. The 165-pound class has
no true leader, but is a group that has potential. There were no match-ups during the
November 1 intrasquad wrestle-off due to weight certifications, injury, and the semester
off for Andrew DeHart and Randy Roden. This weight will be solidified by the Southern
Scuffle in late December.
Andrew Dehart, last year’s utility man at 165, 174, and even 184 on occasion, has
returned for a starting spot this year. Additionally, Randy Roden, the starter
during the 2012-13 season and starter at 174 as a true freshman the year before, is
back at 165 looking to fill the empty spot.
Randy Roden
The new guy at 165 – Jake Faust – moved up two weight classes from 149 last year. Faust, who came off of the previous year’s injuries stronger than ever,
has returned with some size to his upper body. His athleticism and quickness will be his best ally moving up two weights.
174
We are expecting Trey Adamson to repeat for the varsity spot when he returns from taking a semester
off. Brian Dorsey is currently competing as the varsity representative, gaining valuable experience. He put
together a solid performance at the Hokie Open to start the season. Additionally, he ranked above Alex
Belaia at the Nov. 1 intrasquad match. Dorsey currently tops the 174-pound group, but he is expected to
return to his true weight class as his weight taper plan allows.
Jacob Kasper
Trey Adamson
184
True sophomore Jacob Kasper has proven to be the standout of this weight class. Kasper’s height and length proved to
be a threat following his performance at the season opener. We believe if his confidence continues to grow he will be a
dark horse for team points at the 2015 NCAA Championships.
197 – Current national rank #5
Not much more to say other than the name Conner Hartmann to a true Duke
wrestling follower. The guy is a hammer and the rest of the country is beginning
to recognize it. He’ll be our biggest point scorer at NCAAs and a legitimate NCAA title contender.
HWT
Conner Hartmann
The lone heavyweight will be redshirt junior Brendan Walsh. He has returned with
25lbs to his frame, which was what was holding him back against some of the
monsters of the weight class in his previous seasons. His battle this year will be that
of maintaining speed and agility while carrying the extra weight this season. He will
be a key player in the ACC duals this season.
Brendan Walsh
BRINGING FOUR BACK
STUD FRESHMAN CLASS
It’s not uncommon for a student-athlete who redshirts on the Duke
wrestling team to utilize a semester off at some point during their stint
on the roster.
Beyond its many accolades, the unusually large freshman class has
brought great attributes to the environment and competitiveness to the
room. As previously mentioned, we’ll be calling on two of these guys to
jump right in and fill varsity spots this year. The situation looks bright when
the youth of the program can legitimately challenge our more seasoned
upperclassmen for this year’s varsity spots.
This year happened to be the right time for four individuals on the current
roster to do so. Conner Hartmann (197), Randy Roden (174/165), Trey
Adamson (174), and Andrew DeHart (165) all will be eligible for the
Grapple at the Garden in New York City Dec 21.
During this time off they‘ve been working hard in the wrestling room and
will compete unattached while they await their return.
Sometimes the semester off can be a blessing in regards to the individual
training regimen they have during this time. Expect all these individuals to
return to the lineup as prepared and fine-tuned as ever.
CELEBRATE SENIORS AND SHOW #OURBLUEISBEST
The main dual event of the year will be FEB. 11 AT 7 P.M., against Tobacco
Road rival North Carolina! We believe this could be the year to turn the tide
and get a big victory for our outgoing seniors who want a win over the Tar
Heels as badly as the coaches do.
Marcus Cain
Brendan Fowler
Brandon Gambucci
Immanuel Kerr-Brown
Thayer Atkins
Logan Day
Luke Farinaro
Mitch Finesilver
Bailey Jack
Grant Leeth
Alec Schenk
Zach Finesilver
 DUKE’S FRESHMEN BY THE NUMBERS
6 – Different states represented among the freshmen class of eight
204 – Career matches won by rookie Grant Leeth during his scholastic
career, which included three Missouri High School State titles
2 – Finesilvers among the rookie group as twin brothers Mitch and
Zach Finesilver chose to become Blue Devils after stellar careers at
Cherry Creek in Colorado
16 – Top-three finishes for the Duke freshmen in their respective high
school state championships over the course of their careers
7 – High school state titles among the eight freshmen on the roster
THANK YOU JOHN!
Dylan Ryan
WELCOME BACK AARON!
We love having former Duke wrestlers visit and our guys got the chance to talk with
Aaron Glover ’09. Working at JP Morgan, Glover was full of advice on life after Duke and
encouraged our wrestlers to use him as a resource in their future endeavors.
John Dimiallo is one of our biggest supporters
and we’d like to thank him for his generosity and
unwavering dedication to the program. Having
alums like John is what makes Duke and Duke
wrestling so great!
DUKE WRESTLING SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

2014-15 DUKE WRESTLING SCHEDULE
DayDate
Opponent
Location
Time
Saturday
November 8
at Hokie Open
Salem, Va.
All Day
Sunday
November 16
at Wolfpack Open
Raleigh, N.C.
All Day
Saturday
November 22
NEBRASKA
Durham, N.C.
1 p.m.
Saturday
December 6
at Shorter Rome, Ga.
TBA
Sunday
December 21
vs. Northern Iowa
New York, N.Y.
8 a.m.
Sunday
December 21
vs. George Mason
New York, N.Y.
10 a.m.
Sunday
December 21
vs. Maryland
New York, N.Y.
12 p.m.
Thurs-Fri.
January 1-2
at Southern Scuffle
Chattanooga, Tenn.
All Day
Thursday
January 7
at NC State
Raleigh, N.C.
7 p.m.
2014 Grapple at the Garden, New York, N.Y., December 21
Pitt Duals, Pittsburgh, Pa., January 11
Sunday
January 11
vs. Eastern Michigan
Pittsburgh, Pa.
10 a.m.
Sunday
January 11
vs. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pa.
10 a.m.
Sunday
January 11
vs. Lock Haven
Pittsburgh, Pa. 10 a.m.
Friday
January 16
at Virginia
Charlottesville, Va.
7 p.m.
Saturday
January 24
at Appalachian State Open
Boone, N.C.
All Day
Saturday
January 31
DREXEL
Durham, N.C.
10 a.m.
Saturday
January 31
Drexel vs. American
Durham, N.C.
12 p.m.
Saturday
January 31
AMERICAN
Durham, N.C.
2 p.m.
Saturday
January 31
APPALACHIAN STATE
Durham, N.C.
5 p.m.
Wednesday February 4
at Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs, N.C.
7 p.m.
Saturday
SACRED HEART
Durham, N.C.
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday February 11
NORTH CAROLINA
Durham, N.C.
7 p.m.
Saturday
February 14
at Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Va.
7 p.m.
Friday
February 20
at Michigan State
East Lansing, Mich.
7 p.m.
Saturday
February 21
at Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.
7 p.m.
Saturday
March 7
at ACC Championships
Pittsburgh, Pa.
All Day
February 7